 infobox country native_name plains of the paynims common_name plains of the paynims image_coat coat_paynim gif image_map capital none major_cities kanak provinces none nomadic tribes resources horses livestock hides and furs medicinal herbs mercenaries languages baklava southern baklunish common government_type great variation between nomadic bands leader_title leader_name citizen paynim population 470 000 est demographics human human bos centaur halfling other demographic_numbers 450 000 10 000 5 000 5 000 religions istus geshtai mouqol al'akbar xan yae other baklunish gods alignment cn n all others sparsely represented platinum - gold - electrum - silver - copper - allies other baklunish states occasionally enemies other baklunish states occasionally knights of the watch ull footnotes culture the paynims are a nomadic people the descendants of the citizens of the baklunish empire of old the nearest thing to a capital the paynims have is the city of kanak on the shores of lake udrukankar though the amir of kanak claims no authority beyond the lake and the ground within his city city's brick walls smaller settlements are found near wells or oases in the dry steppes or on strategic spots of high ground on the plains throughout the paynims roam at will alternately warring and trading with one another in a cycle that is unpredictable to outsiders trade on the plains except around the few scattered town and cities is almost exclusively barter the paynims count their wealth in horses and livestock as well as slaves in some cases but hold their freedom on the plains to be their greatest treasure geography the numerous tribes of the paynims make their home in the great plains of the western flanaess in the north are the endless leagues of grassland bordering the territories of zeif and ket south of this region and to the east are the desert lands under the shadow of the ulsprue and crystalmist mountains while the vast central plains are more fertile ending in the lush valleys of the western sulhauts summers are brutally hot in the southern desert and little better in the grasslands to the west and north winter brings rain and the seasonal migration of the paynims and their herds to their southern pasturage military paynim warriors are lightly armored the weight and confinement of metallic armor being more of a burden than a blessing in the heat of the day but they are supremely mobile perhaps one quarter of the paynims ply the light lance as well as the mace or flail the rest wield scimitars and short horned bows most are willing to serve as mercenaries for short periods though the dervishes of the dry steppes and the lands surrounding lake udrukankar will normally go to war only under the leadership of their clergy or for causes they see as righteous history for over one thousand years the paynims have been the masters of those territories that once formed the central estate of the baklunish empire when the abundance of the empire was turned to ruin by the invoked devastation only these hardy nomads survived in the wasteland tales from the days following the destruction of the empire are few though it is remembered with pride that the paynims were the first to recieve the divine favor of al'akbar it is clear that the nomads prospered after their fashion even as the human#baklunish baklunish to the north and west organized themselves into settled states the paynims prefered to dwell in tents and to carry their belongings with them as they moved they were always willing to share their lifestyle with their neighbors so they gladly raided and plundered not only their fellow nomads but also those unfortunates living in the reemerging cities unfortunately it would seem that the sedentary folk failed to understand that a thing is yours only as long as you can keep it and fiercely resisted the nomads forays this set the pattern for the years that followed as raiding bands of paynim horsemen would do battle with the armies of the settled nations oft times they found themselves opposed by their nomadic bretheren as well for the paynims would as readily serve as mercenaries in the civilized armies if not always reliable ones inevitably as contact with civilized peoples increased so too did trade caravans crossed the plains and the desert bringing merchants with their wares deep into the territory of the nomads the first group of traders to make a complete circuit of the paynim lands returned to zeif with little in material wealth but possessing a great store of information the mighty works and monuments of the empire were gone except for scattered fragmentary ruins only the stone circles of tovag baragu stood unmarred by the waters of udrukankar within the lake itself the shah of the waters appeared and asked these merchants for the name of the new emperor at first they made no response but finally they gave the name of the sultan rather than earn the ire of the mighty marid of udrukankar they reported that the marid granted his blessing to the great sultan then departed the paynims remember the tale differently saying that the marid shah gave in addition to his blessing a rare and legendary jacinth it would identify the sultan as the heir to the imperial baklunish line had the sultan returned with it to udrukankar the paynim allege he would have become the emperor and founder of the 12th dynasty of the baklunish yet only merchants returned in the years that followed for the jacinth was lost and with it the imperial inheritance the city of kanak on the southern shores of udrukankar was founded on this tale and its amir amirs have ever since ruled in the name of the shah of the waters elsewhere on the plains paynim tribes became numerous over the years and even more bold as always they raided the lands of their more civilized baklunish neighbors now they made war on the tribes of the ulsprue and the plains to the east as well among these peoples primarily of human#oeridian oeridian descent were a few of the magnificent horses beloves of the paynims it was inevitable that the baklunish should attack them and many non-paynims were inslaved by the merciless tribes of ull those who escaped to the desert lands and foothills have never ceased warring against the hated ull uli perhaps the greatest threat to the paynims mastery of the plains was advanced by zeif when a nation of nomads called the brazen horde were incited in the early 300s cy to emigrate from their distant homes beyond the coastal realm called mur and take possession of the plains south of the sultanate these nomads of western lineage whose leaders did not use the title khan were no less warlike than the indigenous paynims in addition they had a finer stock of horse &mdash; swifter stronger and no less enduring combined with the support of zeif these western nomads soon conquered the lands bordering the sultanate once secure in their new territory the brazen horde turned its attention to its eastern neighbors in ket and tusmit the tusmit tusmites under ekbir ekbiri leadership repelled the nomads but ket was successfully invaded recklessly the nomads pludered ket 's districts then moved south through the bramblewood pass pursuing rumors of veluna velunese riches they despoiled isolated villages in veluna 's outlying possessions always retreating back into ket when faced with significant military opposition only after keoland assumed control of the bramblewood gap were these depredations brought to an end the brazen horde horde was soon forced out of ket by keoland keoish forces the solidarity of the brazen horde was fractured by the loss of ket and the khan-led paynims challenged their dominance of the plains intertribal warfare remained the rule among the paynims for most of two centuries only recently has there been any move to unify the paynims this time under the leadersip of the enigmatic mahdi of the steppes said by some to be a true son of al'akbar he has gathered together all the nomads of the dry steppes and some of the dervish tribes have followed him as well the amir of kanak still claims neutrality but before long it will be impossible for any paynim to avoid swearing loyalty to the mahdi of the steppes mahdi 